Show ContentsStannard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Stannard family first reached the shores of England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Their name is derived from the Old English personal name Stanehard, meaning stone hard.

Early Origins of the Stannard family

The surname Stannard was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, Stanard, Stannard, Stanhard, Stanhert all appear in the Domesday Book as tenants of properties in Bury St Edmunds. 34 Knights were registered to the town.

Early History of the Stannard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stannard research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1222, 1327 and 1450 are included under the topic Early Stannard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stannard Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Stannard, Stanard, Stanhert, Stanart, Stanhart, Stonhard, Stonnard, Stonard, Stonerd, Stannert and many more.

Early Notables of the Stannard family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Stannards of Bury in Suffolk

Stannard Ranking

In the United States, the name Stannard is the 11,150th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States Stannard migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Stannard or a variant listed above:

Stannard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Joseph Stannard, who settled in Virginia in 1695
  • Jos Stannard, who arrived in Virginia in 1695 3
Stannard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • C. F. Stannard, aged 37, who immigrated to the United States from Liverpool, in 1896
  • George Stannard, aged 20, who immigrated to the United States, in 1896
Stannard Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Chas. F. Stannard, aged 41, who immigrated to America from London, in 1903
  • Chas. Fredk. Stannard, aged 44, who landed in America from Liverpool, in 1905
  • James Rea Stannard, aged 10, who immigrated to America, in 1905
  • Edward Stannard, aged 39, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1906
  • Florence Lee Stannard, aged 21, who settled in America from Brighouse, England, in 1908
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Stannard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Stannard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Stannard, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Australia Stannard migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Stannard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Stannard, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
  • Mr. William Stannard, English convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Stannard (post 1700) +

  • David Edward Stannard (b. 1941), American historian and Professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaii
  • George J. Stannard (1820-1886), Union general in the American Civil War
  • Joseph Stannard, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Killingworth, 1834-35 6
  • Henry M. Stannard, American politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 19th District, 1872-73 6
  • Harvey B. Stannard, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Barkhamsted, 1870 6
  • George E. Stannard, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Orange, 1908, 1912 6
  • G. J. Stannard, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Vermont, 1868 6
  • Elisha W. Stannard, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Herkimer County, 1868 6
  • Edward P. Stannard, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Westbrook, 1902 6
  • E. C. Stannard, American politician, Mayor of Shawnee, Oklahoma, 1937 6
  • ... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Dorsetshire
  • Geoffrey George Stannard (d. 1945), British Leading Telegraphist aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 7
HMS Hood
  • Mr. George W Stannard (b. 1908), English Sick Berth Petty Officer serving for the Royal Navy from Wandsworth, London, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 8
HMS Royal Oak
  • William Ernest Stannard (1909-1939), British Petty Officer with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 9


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st May 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cressy
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  8. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  9. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html


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